Perception of mechanically and optically simulated bumps and holes

In this article, we investigate the perception of optically simulated haptic feedback. The perception of optically and mechanically simulated bumps and holes was tested experimentally. In an earlier article, we have described the active cursor technique, a method to simulate haptic feedback optically without resorting to special mechanical force feedback devices, commonly applied to produce haptic percepts in computer interfaces. The operation of the force feedback device is substituted by tiny displacements on the cursor position relative to the intended force. This method exploits the domination of the visual over the haptic modality. Results show that people can recognize optically simulated bump and hole structures and that active cursor displacements influence the haptic perception of bumps and holes. Depending on the simulated strength of the force, optically simulated haptic feedback can take precedence over mechanically simulated haptic feedback and also the other way around. When optically simulated and mechanically simulated haptic feedback counteract each other, however, the weight attributed to each source of haptic information differs from user to user. It is concluded that active cursor displacements can be used to simulate the operation of mechanical force feedback devices.